Pay more for umpires to lift game, says Roos

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Paul Roos, visibly frustrated though speaking in jest, suggested yesterday that James Hird's $20,000 fine for criticising umpires was money "well spent". But the Swans coach firmly believes funds would be better utilised offering umpires full-time salaries between $150,000 and $200,000 - affording them the same professional status enjoyed by players, coaches and medical staff within the AFL.

Still smarting after a litany of umpiring errors contributed to Sydney's 10-point loss to Essendon on Saturday, Roos said the AFL placed amateur whistle-blowers in "an extremely difficult position" by failing to offer them a legitimate career path.

He said promising umpires should be identified, sent to a purpose-built umpiring academy and offered university scholarships in order to improve the standard of officiating around the league.

"I spoke to [AFL football operations manager] Adrian Anderson last week with a few suggestions from us, just saying that if the AFL is worried about the image of umpires - as we all are - then they should offer them a full-time career," Roos said. "Bump up their salaries to $150,000 or $200,000 a year and give them a proper career path.

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"The clear way forward is to have umpires as full-time professionals. I think at the moment they're all at a clear disadvantage and the AFL, and the whole industry, makes things extremely difficult for them.

"We're frustrated but we've moved on from the weekend. On the whole, I think umpires do a terrific job. But to me, and maybe I'm an idiot, making [umpires] full-time is just commonsense."

Meanwhile, Roos is hopeful that Michael O'Loughlin (hamstring) will pass a fitness test tomorrow and confirm his availability for Sunday's clash with Richmond at the SCG.

His inclusion would boost a Sydney forward line without outstanding goal-sneak Adam Schneider, who may miss up to six matches with a hamstring tear sustained against Essendon.

That defeat dropped Sydney to seventh, six places higher than the embattled Tigers. But despite a string of indifferent performances this season - efforts that resulted in one disgruntled fan spitting at coach Danny Frawley a fortnight ago - Richmond still drew 37,947 passionate supporters to Telstra Dome for their one-point win over Hawthorn last Friday night.

Greg Stafford, for one, took note of the mammoth turnout. Having played with the Swans for nine seasons, the ruckman remembers the reaction of Sydney crowds when the home side struggled.

"Rather than walk away, the Richmond fans get quite vocal in their dissatisfaction when the team's not playing well," said Stafford, a Sydney native set to return from a three-match suspension. "You'd prefer that. In Sydney, crowds would go from 38,000 to 15,000 depending on how you were doing."